Castlewood Canyon State Park

Near Franktown, Colorado, the Cherry Creek has carved Castlewood Canyon, perhaps a hundred feet deep and only describable as quaint compared to the Grand Canyon (the last canyon I'd visited). The same Cherry Creek flows on through central Denver. A dam built in the canyon in the late 1800s burst in 1933 flooding much of downtown. The dam was never rebuilt although its ruins remain. In late February on one of my Fridays off, I made the hour drive to Castlewood Canyon State Park and hiked for a few hours in the morning. There was hardly anyone else there. Though the trail was easy, the park offers a peaceful respite from the bustle of downtown, interested human history, and great views of Pikes Peak.

Bright Angel Trail

For my last hike of 2015, I was on the Bright Angel Trail before 7 a.m. just as dawn's light transformed the shadowy wall's into bright oranges and pinks. Every step of the trail provides an inspiring view into the expansive gap carved through the layers of time.

The Grand Canyon is the inverse of a mountain. Unlike climbing up to a summit, the hardest part of canyon hiking is getting back out after climbing down in. Signs at the trailhead ominously warn hikers not to attempt to go all the way down to the Colorado River and back in a single day. People have died trying to do that nearly 16 mile roundtrip hike, or so the signs said.

Instead, at most, hikers are advised to only go as far as Plateau Point, six miles and 3,000 feet deep inside the canyon, but still 2,000 feet above the Colorado River. As I hiked down, I could feel the tug of the river.

Also in reverse to hiking up a mountain, the view as you descend into the canyon gets narrower than at the top but you can see further up and downriver. The weather warms up as the canyon immerses you, with the temperature dropping and the trail becoming less icy and snow-packed as it drops from 6,800 feet to under 4,000 feet above sea level.

Just past Indian Gardens, the trail splits between the river and Plateau Point. I hesitated for a moment but better sense prevailed and I took the fork to the left towards Plateau Point instead of descending deeper. The river would have to wait till another time. A couple hours later I was back at the South Rim and speeding in the direction of Colorado.

Arizona Landscapes

On the Tuesday after Christmas, I parted ways with my family and went north. I was headed towards the Grand Canyon, but needed to make a few stops along the way. They included Montezuma's Castle, an ancient Sinaguan dwelling built into a cliff, Walnut Canyon, another site with ancient ruins near Flagstaff, and the spectacular but mostly unknown Coal Mine Canyon just southeast of Tuba City, which only has modern ruins.

The drive to these destinations passed some thrilling landscapes, including the San Francisco Peaks, shattered remains of a 16,000 feet tall volcano once of which--Mount Humphreys--is the highest point in Arizona, as well as Sunset Crater, named for its summit stained red by iron. Arizona is a varied and impressive land and, aside from a few major points, had up until this point mostly been unexplored by me.

Chiricahua National Monument

The day after hiking up Superstition Mountain, my dad and I drove a few hours east of Mesa to visit the hoodoos of Chiricahua National Monument. It's off the beaten path, but the hoodoos with their neon green lichen are almost as spectacular as their more famous counterparts in Bryce Canyon. After hiking the 7.5 mile Heart of Rocks loop, we headed back to Mesa by way of the wild west town of Tombstone, Arizona, the site of the shootout at the OK Corral. The town's history is worth a passing interest, but it's mostly now a gimmick overrun with families of tourists.